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LONDON， July 6 (Xinhua) -- Former British prime minister Tony Blair said he will ""take full responsibility for any mistakes without exception or excuse"" over the Iraq war， after the publication of a long-awaited inquiry into the war on Wednesday.

Speaking before the publication of the report， the chairman of the inquiry John Chilcot said Britain went to war before all peaceful options had been exhausted.

He also said that the legal basis for British military action in Iraq was ""far from satisfactory，"" stressing that British policy on Iraq was made on the basis of ""flawed intelligence and assessments.""

In the report， finally published seven years after the inquiry began and 13 years after British and U.S. troops invaded Iraq， Chilcot concluded that Britain's military role in Iraq went ""badly wrong"" and ""ended a long way from success.""

He noted that Blair was warned that military action in Iraq would increase the threat of al Qaeda to Britain， but war risks were not ""properly identified.""

In March 2003， there was ""no imminent threat"" from Saddam Hussein， according to Chilcot.

In response to the publication of the report， Blair said ""the report does make real and material criticisms of preparation， planning， process and of the relationship with the United States.""

""These are serious criticisms and they require serious answers，"" he said in a statement.

He also announced that he will respond in detail to the criticisms later on Wednesday.

""I will at the same time say why， nonetheless， I believe that it was better to remove Saddam Hussein and why I do not believe this is the cause of the terrorism we see today whether in the Middle East or elsewhere in the world，"" he added.

However， Blair defended his ""good faith"" in his decisions to go to war in Iraq.

""The report should lay to rest allegations of bad faith， lies or deceit. Whether people agree or disagree with my decision to take military action against Saddam Hussein， I took it in good faith and in what I believed to be the best interests of the country，"" he said.

Blair said that in the report there was no falsification or improper use of intelligence， no deception of Cabinet， and no secret commitment to war whether at Crawford Texas in April 2002 or elsewhere.

""The inquiry does not make a finding on the legal basis for military action but finds that the Attorney General had concluded there was such a lawful basis by March 13， 2003，"" he explained.

Blair paid tribute to British Armed Forces， saying: ""I will express my profound regret at the loss of life and the grief it has caused the families， and I will set out the lessons I believe future leaders can learn from my experience.""

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SHANGHAI Ryan O'Reilly Womens Jersey , Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese consumers are more confident and savvy with regard to their choice of brands and products, according to a report released by global management consulting firm McKinsey and Company.

The report was based on a survey of 10,000 consumers aged 18 to 65 across 44 cities and seven rural villages and towns in the country.

Around 80 percent of the respondents were confident that their household incomes will increase markedly in the coming five years.

The "post-90s" generation is emerging as the next engine of consumption in China, according to the report, and this consumer cohort will account for more than 20 percent of total consumption growth, higher than any other demographic segment.

The report also noted the "post-90s" showed better confidence in China's macro-economy and tended to have strong awareness and preferences about brands.

Lan Luan, an associate partner in McKinsey China's Consumer and Retail practice, said the "post-90s" generation represents a promising group of consumers that will heavily influence how brands perform in China.

ISTANBUL, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Representatives from the global petroleum sector on Monday focused on the future of energy in the face of a growing population on the planet in the decades to come.

"Today we have around 7.5 billion people on the planet and by 2100 we can expect about 11.2 billion," Ben van Beurden, CEO of the Royal Dutch Shell, told the 22nd World Petroleum Congress that kicked off on Sunday evening in Istanbul.

Recent projections suggest that the population in Asia alone would increase by 750 million by the middle of the century, with its energy demand increasing by around half, noted Van Beurden.

"But more than anything, this is a story about Africa," he stressed. "We can expect 3.6 billion extra people to be living on this planet by the end of the century and 3.2 billion of them will be in Africa, with the vast majority in sub-Saharan Africa."

c, there is often too much focus on energy-transition policies in Europe and North America instead of the fast-growing developing countries.

"What happens in England is important, but what happens in Ethiopia is at least as important," the chief executive said, adding that "From Denmark to the Democratic Republic of Congo, from the U.S. to Uganda, to India, to China there is a lot of work to do."

Sector representatives mostly stressed that the demand for conventional and unconventional oil and gas would continue to increase and remain critical to the changing energy mix in the face of the population's rapid growth.

According to Amin Nasser, president and CEO of Saudi Aramco, unconventional shale oil and alternative energy resources are important factors to help meet future demand.

"But it is premature to assume that they can be developed quickly to replace oil and gas," he added.

For Nasser, a sharp decline in investments and a lack of fresh conventional discoveries might lead as well to a shortage of oil supply. "The picture is becoming increasingly w.